Flash decides to enter a Balance Battle Tournament. But when he sees that Lightning Blitz is competing too, it quickly changes from a fun time to a matter of pride, to prove to himself that he can beat him.
- Broken Win/Loss Streak: Flash finally defeats Lightning Blitz! But it is downplayed since Lightning argues that it wasn't a "real battle", something that Flash acknowledges himself in a later chapter.
- Fatal Flaw: Lightning's inability to do any teamwork, which is carried over to his Pokémon. He sees teamwork as something for weaklings who can't do anything on their own and need to rely on others. So, none of his Pokémon have the bonds Flash's Pokémon do, with their trainer or each other. So while all of Flash's Pokémon act as friends and teammates, helping and saving each other throughout the battle, all Lightning's Pokémon are just "strangers who share the same trainer" and get in each other's way.
- High-Pressure Emotion: When Cadance tells Lightning that Flash has a better chance of beating Shining than he does, Lightning's face goes red in pure anger.
- Hypocrite: Lightning claims that Flash is a loser and will never beat him at anything, boasting that he will prove it here and never accept another challenge from him after he beats him. After Flash beats him though, he confronts Flash and argues that the result doesn't prove anything because it was just a "stupid game" and not a "real battle". So basically for Lightning, a battle only counts as long as he wins.
- Internal Reveal: Twilight explains to Cadance what Flash went through the last time he lost to Lightning in the Battle Tournament, and how he pushed them all away, including his Pokémon.
- I Reject Your Reality: Lightning Blitz refuses to believe that Flash earned seven badges legitimately, first saying that they are fakes and then saying Flash only got them by getting on his knees and begging for them.
- Not Afraid of You Anymore: Downplayed; Flash isn't really scared of Lightning, he just has some lingering fear of facing him and losing to him again after what happened last time. His battle with him, and subsequent victory against him, eliminates all of that lingering fear from him, proving to himself that he can beat Lightning and preparing for the day he beats him in a "real battle".
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Cadance is completely shocked to hear how Flash got so bad after his last loss to Lightning that he pushed away his own Pokémon. After getting to know Flash over the last few days and seeing how much he loved his Pokémon, the thought of him pushing them away seems unbelievable to her.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Cadance runs into Lightning Blitz before the finals, Lightning tells her to deliver a message to Shining Armor for him, that he is coming to dethrone him and make him pay for disgracing his family. Cadance just laughs in his face and tells him he can't beat a single one of Shining's Pokémon. To add to it, she makes it clear that Flash Sentry, who Lightning views as nothing but a loser, is the only one she believes stands a chance against Shining out of every trainer she has ever met.
- Sore Loser: Lightning makes a big deal before the battle with Flash that Flash is never going to beat him at anything, and that once he beats him here he will never accept another challenge from him again. After Flash ends up winning though, he argues that the battle doesn't prove anything because it wasn't a "real battle", still refusing to acknowledge him as a strong trainer.
- Team Killer: Lightning has Gorillamp use Thunder on Pitchawk to zap Viper too and ends up eliminating them both. Lightning claims that since Pitchawk was going to be eliminated anyway he might as well make sure Viper went down with him.
- Tournament Arc: Flash enters the Balance Battle Tournament, a competition where a team of three Pokémon battle together at the same time while standing atop poles and attempt to knock the opposing team of three of the poles and into the defeat zone below. He ends up winning the whole thing, defeating Lightning Blitz in the finals.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Due to Lightning insisting that teamwork is only for weaklings, none of his Pokémon have any sort of connection or teamwork skills, constantly fighting alone. This causes them to get in each other's way during the battle with Flash several times, like Frostoak jumping on Pitchawk's back to get off the hot poles and the two arguing with each other over this and eventually leading to Frostoak's elimination when he is knocked off Pitchawk's back.
- Worthy Opponent: Cadance makes it clear she has come to see Flash as one, saying that out of all the trainers she has met who want to beat Shining Armor and take his championship title, she believes that he stands the best chance of taking him on.
